“The Blue Painting Lesson: A Study in Painterly Logic, number one of five” is an abstract work by Robert Motherwell, created in 1973 as part of a series. This artwork hails from the influential movement of Abstract Expressionism and exemplifies the genre’s abandonment of representational imagery in favor of achieving emotive impact through abstract forms.
The artwork presents a vast, immersive field of blue that dominates the visual experience. Against this monochromatic backdrop, various textural elements and strokes disrupt the uniformity of color. There appears to be a central, rectangular form that lends a graphic quality to the composition, anchored by a bold, dark line. The intensity of the color blue is varied throughout, with lighter and darker shades contributing to a sense of depth and movement within the piece. The application of paint is dynamic and gestural, characteristic of Motherwell’s approach and the larger movement’s emphasis on the artist’s presence within the work. The overall effect is both meditative and intense, inviting viewers to derive their own emotional and intellectual responses from the interplay of color, shape, and texture.
